Little Caillou Fire chief sued over crash

Published: Tuesday, January 10, 2012 at 5:03 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, January 10, 2012 at 5:03 p.m.

A lawsuit filed in the Terrebonne Courthouse claims that the Little Caillou Volunteer Fire chief severely injured another motorist in a 2010 rear-end crash.

The suit alleges Marty Thibodeaux, heading south on La. 56 in a Ford SUV owned by the fire department, rear-ended a boat trailer pulled by a pickup truck driven by William Turner of Cocodrie.

The wreck caused Turner's pickup to “spin out of the southbound lane and come to rest facing northbound on the center line,” the suit alleges.

Kevin Picou, one of four passengers in Turner's truck, “suffered serious, painful, permanent and disabling injuries” to his neck and knee, the suit says.

Thibodeaux, who was responding to a car wreck in Cocodrie at the time, was not ticketed, though he was responsible for the wreck, State Police said at the time. Police said the SUV's emergency lights were on and Thibodeaux was driving slower than normal due to fog and rain.

The suit also names the Little Caillou Volunteer Fire District, which protects Chauvin and part of Cocodrie, and its insurance company.

Picou is seeking damages for “physical pain and suffering, shock, fear, humiliation, mental anguish (and) emotional distress,” among other reasons named in the suit.

Thibodeaux had not been served with the lawsuit as of Tuesday afternoon, he said, but his insurance company did tell him about it.

State Police said at the time of the wreck that there were no injuries.

Thibodeaux said the crash was minor and “the airbags didn't deploy” in his SUV. He declined further comment.

<p>A lawsuit filed in the Terrebonne Courthouse claims that the Little Caillou Volunteer Fire chief severely injured another motorist in a 2010 rear-end crash.</p><p>The suit alleges Marty Thibodeaux, heading south on La. 56 in a Ford SUV owned by the fire department, rear-ended a boat trailer pulled by a pickup truck driven by William Turner of Cocodrie. </p><p>The wreck caused Turner's pickup to “spin out of the southbound lane and come to rest facing northbound on the center line,” the suit alleges.</p><p>Kevin Picou, one of four passengers in Turner's truck, “suffered serious, painful, permanent and disabling injuries” to his neck and knee, the suit says.</p><p>Thibodeaux, who was responding to a car wreck in Cocodrie at the time, was not ticketed, though he was responsible for the wreck, State Police said at the time. Police said the SUV's emergency lights were on and Thibodeaux was driving slower than normal due to fog and rain.</p><p>The suit also names the Little Caillou Volunteer Fire District, which protects Chauvin and part of Cocodrie, and its insurance company. </p><p>Picou is seeking damages for “physical pain and suffering, shock, fear, humiliation, mental anguish (and) emotional distress,” among other reasons named in the suit.</p><p>Thibodeaux had not been served with the lawsuit as of Tuesday afternoon, he said, but his insurance company did tell him about it. </p><p>State Police said at the time of the wreck that there were no injuries.</p><p>Thibodeaux said the crash was minor and “the airbags didn't deploy” in his SUV. He declined further comment.</p><p>Emmett Boudreaux, Picou's Baton Rouge-based attorney, did not return a phone call Tuesday afternoon.</p><p><i>Staff Writer Eric Heisig can be reached at 857-2202 or eric.heisig@houmatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter @TerrebonneCrime.</i></p>